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New Message on BDOTNET
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From: Pooran-Prasad
Message 1 in Discussion
Hi all,
I
found this very interesting. Thought I will share this with the group
:) This speech was delivered during the
commencement exercises of the UP graduating class of 2003 by Mr. Butch Jimenez,
the youngest commencement speaker in the university's history. He once dreamed
of doing so, and it came true!!! :-) Students wished they had a pencil or paper
to jot down notes during the speech; some even wished they had a tape recorder.
Some members of the faculty found his speech practical, refreshing, and
funny!
Butch Jimenez, head of PLDT's media and strategic communications
department,delivered this speech at the UP Diliman Class 2003 commencement
exercises.
What's better than...?
Better than being negative
As college students, you're just about to set sail into
the real world. As you prepare for the battleground of life, you'll hear many
speeches, read tons of books and get miles of advice telling you to work hard,
dream big, go out and do something for yourself, and have a vision. Not bad advice,
really. In fact, following
these nuggets of truth may just bring you to the top. But as I've lived my life
over the years, I have come to realize that it is great to dream big, have a
vision, make a name, and work hard. But guess what: There's something better
than that.
So my message today simply asks the question, What's
better than...?
Let's start off with something really simple. What's
better than a long speech? No doubt, a short one. So, you guys are in luck
because I do intend to keep this short.
Now, let me take you through a very simple math exam.
I'll rattle off a couple of equations, and you tell me what you observe about
them. Be mindful of the instructions. You are to tell me what you observe about
the equations.
Here goes: 3+4=7, 9+2=11, 8+4=13, and 6+6=12. Tell me,
what do you observe? Every time I conduct
this test, more than 90 percent of the participants immediately say, 8+4 is NOT
13, it's 12! That's true and they are
correct. But they could have also observed that the three other equations were
right. That 3+4 is 7, that 9+2 is
11, and that 6+6 is 12.
What's my point?
Many people immediately focus on the negative instead of
the positive. Most of us focus on what's
wrong with other people more than what's right about them. Examine those four
equations. Three were right and only one was wrong. But what is the knee-jerk
observation? The
wrong equation. If 10 people you didn't
know were to walk through that door, most of you would describe those people by
what's negative about them. He's fat. He's balding. Oh, the short one. Oh, the
skinny girl. Ahhh, 'yung pango.Etc. Get
the point? It's always the negative we focus on and not the positive. You'll
definitely experience this in the corporate world. You do a hundred good things
and one mistake-guess what? Chances are, your attention will be called on that
one mistake. So what's better than
focusing on the negative? Believe me, it's focusing on the POSITIVE. And if this
world could learn to focus on the positive more than the negative, it would be a
much nicer place to live in.
Better than working hard
We have always been told to work hard. Our parents say
that, our teachers say that, and our principal says that. But there's something
better than merely working hard. It's working SMART. It's taking time to understand
the situation,
and coming out with an effective and efficient solution to get more done with
less time and effort. As the Japanese say,
"There's always a better way."
One of the most memorable case studies I came across
with as I studied Japanese management at Sophia University in Tokyo was the case
of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics
companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a box of
soap that was empty. It immediately isolated the problem to the assembly line,
which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For
some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Management
tasked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard
to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to
watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not
empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast. But a rank-and-file employee
that was posed the
same problem came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial
electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as
each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.
Clearly, the engineers worked hard, but the rank-and-file employee worked smart.
So what's better than merely working hard? It's working smart.
Having said that,
it is still important to work hard. If you could combine both working hard and
working smart, you would possess a major factor toward success.
Better than dreaming big
I will bet my next month's salary that many have
encouraged you to dream big. Maybe even to reach for the stars and aim high. I,
sure, heard that about a million times right before I graduated from this
university. So I did. I did dream big. I did aim high. I did reach for the
stars. No doubt, it works. In fact, the saying is true: "If you aim for nothing,
that's exactly what you'll hit: nothing."
But there's something better than dreaming big. Believe me, I got shocked
myself. And I learned it from the biggest dreamer of all time, Walt
Disney.
When it comes to dreaming big, Walt is the man. No
bigger dreams were fulfilled than his. Every leadership book describes him as
the ultimate dreamer. In fact, the principle of dreaming and achieving is the
core message of the Disney hit song, "When You Wish Upon a Star".
"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you
are;
anything your heart desires will come to you. If your heart is in
your dream, no request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star, as
dreamers do," as Jiminy Cricket sang.
But is that what he preached in the Disney company?
Dream? Imagineering. Well, not exactly. Kinda, but not quite. The problem with
dreaming is if that's all you do, you'll really get nowhere. In fact, you may
just fall asleep and never wake up. The
secret to Disney's success is not just dreaming, it's IMAGINEERING. You won't
find this word in a dictionary. It's purely a Disney word. Those who engage in
imagineering are called imagineers. The word combines the words "imagination"
and "engineering." In the book
"Imagineers," Disney's CEO, Michael Eisner, claims that "imagineers turn
impossible dreams into real magic." Walt Disney explained there is really no
secret to their approach. They just keep moving forward, opening new doors and
doing new things, because they are curious. And it is this curiosity that leads
them down new paths. They always dream, explore and experiment. In short,
imagineering is the blending of creative imagination and technical
know-how.
Eisner expounds on this thought by saying that "Not only
are imagineers curious, they are courageous, outrageous, and their creativity is
contagious." The big difference with
imagineers is that they dream and then they DO! So don't just be a dreamer, be
an imagineer.
Better than having a vision
You must have all been given a lecture at one time or
another about the importance of having a vision. Even leadership expert John
Maxwell says that an indispensable quality of a leader is to have a vision. The
Bible also makes it very clear that "Without vision, people perish". So no doubt
about it, having a vision is important to success.
But surprise! There's something more potent than a
vision. It's a CAUSE.
If all you're doing is trying to reach your vision and
you're pitted against someone fighting for a cause, chances are you'll
lose.
The Vietnam War is a classic example. Literally with
sticks and stones, the Viet Cong beat the heavily armed US Army to surrender,
primarily because the US had a vision to win the war, but the Vietnamese were
fighting for a cause.
In the realm of business, many leaders have visions of
making their company No.1, or grabbing market share, or forever increasing
profits. Nothing really wrong with that vision, but take the example of Sony
founder, Akio Morita. He did not just have a vision to build the biggest
electronics company in the world. In his biography, "Made in Japan," he reveals
that the real reason he set up Sony was to help rebuild his country, which had
just been battered by war. He had a cause he was fighting for. His vision to be
an electronics giant was secondary.
What's the difference between a vision and a cause?
Here's what sets them apart...
No one is willing to die for a vision. People will die
for a cause.
You possess a vision. A cause possesses
you.
A vision lies in your hands. A cause lies in your
heart.
A vision involves sacrifice. A cause involves the
ultimate sacrifice.
Just a word of caution. You must have the right vision,
and you must be fighting for the right cause. In the end, right will always win
out.
It may take time, and it may take long. But if you have
the right vision and are fighting for the right cause, you will prevail. If not,
no matter how sincere you are, if you are not fighting for what is right, you
will ultimately fail.
Two final quotes -
Allow me to end with two quotes that I have lived by
ever since I stepped out of UP.
The first comes from the Bible, which says, "To whom much is given,
much is required."
Having been given
the opportunity to study in UP, no doubt, much has been given to you in terms of
an excellent education. Don't forget that in return, much is now required of you
to use that education not just for yourself, but for others. And as you move up and
start reaching the
pinnacle of success, even more will be required of you to look at the welfare of
others, of society and of the country.
Though I have often dreamed of addressing any
graduating class of UP Diliman, I never really thought it would happen. This
brings me to the second quote I have held close to my heart as I traverse the
destiny God has laid out for me.
"There is no destination beyond reach of
one who walks with God." My standing in front of you today, as the youngest
commencement speaker of this esteemed university in 92 years, is proof of how
true that quote is.
A final review:
* What's better than focusing on the negative?
Focus on the positive.
* What's better than working hard? It's working
smart.
* What's better than dreaming?
Imagineering.
* What's better than doing something for
yourself? Doing something for your country.
* What's better than a vision? A
cause.
* What's better than a long speech? Definitely, a
short one.
Thank you and congratulations, UP Diliman
graduating class of 2003
Have a great day:)
Pooran
Prasad
R. Pooran Prasad
Itreya Technologies Pvt Ltd.,
Mail:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Phone(Off) :
5200179/80/81/82/83 Extn: 50
Mobile: +91 98860 29578
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